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Olympus PEN-F review and photo samples

If you have been following my blog for a while, you would know how the Olympus Pen EPL-8 camera changed my life since 2016. You can also check out my review for the Olympus lenses I upgraded to. The Olympus EPL-8 served its purpose a small compact interchangeable lens camera that could be carried in my handbag that doesn’t weigh too much. I have now since upgraded to the Olympus PEN-F, and learned its full capabilities. Thanks to the Olympus workshops I’ve attended the last two years. Each photographer I shadowed helped shaped and improved my photography skills.

Why the upgrade?

When I first looked into buying an Olympus camera, I was deciding between the Epl-8 or the PEN-F. I had to learn a new camera system and there was almost a £500 difference between buying the two cameras, EPL-8 was £599 and the Olympus PEN-F was £1000. After two years there’s already a newer model EPL-9 that replaces the EPL-8 whilst the Pen F hasn’t reduced in price. It wasn’t until I attended an Olympus workshop at Cahoots that I specifically asked to use the PEN-F instead of the OM-D E-M1 Mark II. The photography shots I took with that camera was astonishing especially the ones of the cocktail smoke.

The pen line carries the retro looking cameras, and the Pen F still looks slightly similar to the original F camera.

On the front of the camera there are special creative art dials, for B&W mode and colour pop profiles. The camera itself is designed with no screws on show, it has a 5-axis stabilization.

What I missed on my mirrorless micro four-thirds camera was an electric viewfinder, on bright sunny days using the screen to look at what your shooting can get difficult. As I got to learn more about how to use the Olympus system, I found the creative dials on the PEN-F much easier to use. The EPL-8 I have to search through many menus and settings to get the set up correctly.

Another annoying thing about the EPL-8 was how loud the shutter was, I’ll be in a quiet restaurant and people would complain about the noise. The PEN-F has a silent shooting mode, which is great for restaurant photography and taking photos of wildlife.

The wifi connectively is also a bonus for someone like me that need to download images from the camera to phone via the Olympus share app. You can also use the app to remote control the camera with a live preview using your mobile phone.

The only downside with negative I found using the Olympus PEN-F is the tilting screen for selfies, the EPL-8 tilt downwards whereas the PEN-F is sideways it can be hard to press the on-screen buttons or the shutter button at the top.